Formalistic Approach to Young Goodman Brown
To understand Young Goodman Brown fully the reader must analyze the story using the formalistic approach. In class we described the formalistic approach as using allegory, historical background, allusion, and symbolism to interpret a work. When using these methods of interpretation, the story became clearer to me because I understood some of the historical background that the story was based on, as well as what some of the symbols meant, that I had previously been unaware.
“In allegory (a narrative containing a meaning beneath the surface one), there is usually a one-to-one relationship; that is one idea or object in the narrative stands for only one idea or object allegorically”(p.59). In Young Goodman Brown the allegory lies in the main character’s desire to walk down the evil path for a little while just to see what it is like, then come back to the good life. He plans to do this by walking with the man in the forest and then coming back to Faith, his wife, who personifies his faith. The tricky part about encountering evil is that one must veer from faith, again this is allegorical to his wife and his having to leave her that one night.
The historical background to this story helps to clarify why this story is significant and why some things happen during the tale. The Puritans believe in Predestination. I learned in American history that Predestination was the belief that certain people were destined to go to heaven while the others were destined for a place much less comfortable. The basis for whom went was up to God and it didn’t reflect on how righteous the person appeared to be on the outside. This becomes important in Young Goodman Brown because when he hears of and sees people that he believed were good people following the devil, he begins to doubt that anything is good. Another Puritan practice was to name their children after traits that they found to be admirable such as Faith, Patience, or Young Goodman Brown in hopes that that virtue would stay with them and be prevalent in their lives.
The use of allusion is also apparent in Young Goodman Brown. The main character’s wife is named Faith. This is an allusion to his own faith. For example, Mr. Brown loses Faith when he goes into the dark woods with the spooky guy that walks with a serpent-staff.
Nathaniel Hawthorne is a nineteenth-century American writer of the Romantic Movement. Hawthorne was born is Salem, Massachusetts, and this is the place he used as the setting for some of his works: such as "The Scarlett Letter", "the Blithedale Romance" and "Young Goodman Brown". In writing, Hawthorne was known for his use of allegory and symbolism, which made his stories a joy for everyone to read. Hawthorne was said to be the first American writer who was conscious of the failure of modern man to realize his full capacity for moral growth. His stories contain much about the life he knew as a child being brought up in a Puritan society. As Hawthorne's writing continued it was filled with the same amount of sin and evil as his first writings. Evil that was revealed through his works. "Young Goodman Brown" was said to be one of the best stories ever written by Hawthorne (Adams70). "The Marble Faun: and "the Scarlett Letter were some of the other stories written by Hawthorne, and they were said to be "Young Goodman Brown" grown older. In this selection there is a question of maturity for Goodman Brown and whether he is good or evil. There is also a transition from childishness to adolescence to maturity. This short story in particular has a feeling of adultery, betrayal, and deception as in some of his other works. It was said by Richard P. Adams that "young Goodman Brown" was a germ for nearly all his best work that followed (Adams 71).
This paper will explore what the primary mission of social work as a professional means to me. Through self-reflection of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, I will delve into why I chose social work as a career, the type of social worker I want to become, and ponder what challenges and obstacles may impede my chosen path.
The positives of trade school are lost in the ocean of colleges seeking your attention to bring in more students. Trade schools offer lower cost, faster graduation, classes only relating to the chosen major, teach hands-on as opposed to theory and do not give students unneeded classes. For these reasons, trade schools is actually a better choice than college for post high school education when you have a specific major in mind. College flexibility is no longer the front runner these days as more and more students are deciding on majors well before
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s allegorical story “Young Goodman Brown” is set in Salem, Massachusetts during the late sixteen hundreds in a time of religious hysteria and only a few generations after the infamous witch trials. Although "Young Goodman Brown" is a fictional tale, it is based on the cynical environment of Salem during this time period. The short story is filled with many literary elements, leading you to question what did exactly happen to the main character at the conclusion. When analyzing a story like "Young Goodman Brown", one must recognize that the story is at whole symbolic. In the text, symbols are used to uncover the truth of the characters. The role of Faith as both a character and a spiritual element are crucial to both the story and the character of Young Goodman Brown.
...147). Women were often tortured for a confession, and to stop the torment and pain inflicted on them, many women accused other women in order to save themselves.
life, as well as in the lives of the other Jackson’s, there seemed to be so much pressure for success, but they all seemed to lack self-esteem.
In the story of young Goodman brown the Author of the story, Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses symbolic characters that represent life. In the story, Young Goodman Brown goes into a journey into the cold, dark, and lonely forest. Faith, his wife is rejected by young Goodman brown when she asks him to stay with her that night and to forget about the journey. Young Goodman Brown tells her that she will be all right without him and that he has to go into that journey. This is an image of what many people do, if not all people. We do not listen to our sin or to people who only wants the best for us, for example, our family. In Young Goodman Brown, Faith does not only resemble Young Goodman Brown’s religion, but it also resembles his support and security
Young Goodman Brown is a good man. (Hence his name). He is a young man, who is naïve to most of his surroundings. He depends on others around him to keep his faith in god. In the story he is meant to represent "everyman" in society and the struggle they have with the evil within themselves.
The main characters in Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown" are Goodman Brown, his wife Faith and the stranger who accompanies Goodman Brown in the forest. At the beginning of the story Brown is bidding his wife, Faith farewell at their front door. Taking a lonely route into the forest, he meets an older man who bears a fatherly resemblance to both Brown and the Devil. Later that night Brown discovers to his amazement, that many exemplary villagers are on the same path including, Goody Cloyse, a pious old woman who once taught him his catechism, but who readily shows that she certainly knew the Devil and practiced witchcraft. With Brown still confident that he could turn back, his older companion departs, leaving behind his curiously snakelike staff and fully expecting that Brown would follow.
The story of Young Goodman Brown if full of symbolism. It symbolizes a common Puritan man that is strong in his faith. Brown believes that everyone is like him and is a good person. However he comes to realize that this is not the case through his meeting with the devil and loosing Faith.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's short story "Young Goodman Brown”, the abundant use of symbolism, mystery and suspense captures the reader’s attention almost immediately. From the beginning and throughout the entirety of the story, Hawthorne leads the reader into asking themselves the questions, "What is all of the symbolism, mysticism, characters, and scenery actually representing?" Hawthorne masterfully uses this symbolism to show Goodman Brown’s unconscious struggle with his personal religious faith and his faith in humankind.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” captivates the reader through a glimpse of the Puritan church. The story also shows the struggle of good versus evil in the main character Goodman Brown. The role of the Puritan church is crucial in shaping Goodman Brown’s personality and helping the reader understand why he was reluctant to continue his journey.
So perhaps both parties did visit Jesus, but at different times. Luke 2:16 shows that the shepherds “came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.” In Matthew 2:11, it says “after coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.” These two passages show that the shepherds visited Jesus as a baby while the Magi visited Jesus as a child. The point of this example is show to that the differing stories in Matthew and Luke did happen, but the authors could have decided that one story was more important than the other. In the very end, the differences from the gospels doesn’t come from the issue that one account is true and the other is false, it may come from the fact that the authors may have omitted details that they thought weren’t essential to the
Symbolism is a literary technique that is used to clarify the author's intent. Sometimes it is used to great effect, while other times it only seems to muddle the meaning of a passage. In "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne uses objects and people as symbols to allegorically reveal his message to the reader.
Some people accredit their success to fate, while others accredit it to their own achievements. I personally believe, good happens to people who work persistently for what they hunger. Being a successful entrepreneur is about sacrifice and hard-work. I assume I hold the qualities of a hard-worker. Scoring a twelve for action orientated was a shock. I find myself to be amply action orientated. I know whatever I require done, will not be completed unless I do it. I demand action in everyday challenges I am faced with. One structural characteristic of being an entrepreneur is being action-oriented. Willingness to utilize action and persistence are common traits of entrepreneurs.